[January 05, 2013]SPRINGFIELD -- History buffs and movie buffs can join forces next
week when the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum hosts
a special film discussion on the day Academy Award nominations are
announced.

The event features Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips
and DePaul University art professor Mark Pohlad, an expert on
Lincoln images. They'll discuss the movie "Lincoln," the challenges
of mixing fact with fiction, and the most interesting films of 2012.

The "Abe and Oscar" special event takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday
at the museum's Union Theater. It's free, but reservations should be
made by calling 217-558-8934.

Audience members will have the chance to ask questions and submit
their own Oscar ballots for a chance to win a $50 gift card and four
free admissions to the Lincoln Presidential Museum.

It promises to be a lively discussion. "Lincoln" could snag
nominations for best picture, best director, best actor and more,
and the movie raises questions about the value of "edu-tainment" and
whether Hollywood minimizes the role of minorities in historic
events.

Phillips, the Tribune's lead film critic since 2006, was a
frequent guest host on "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper." He was a
permanent host in the show's final season. Before becoming the
Tribune's film critic, Phillips covered film and theater for
newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and the St. Paul Pioneer
Press.

Pohlad specializes in the history of art and architecture. He has
developed an expertise on Lincoln, particularly Lincoln photography.
He has written about Lincoln-related poetry and is working on a
book-length study of Chicago portraitists of Lincoln.

For more information about programs and exhibits at the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, visit
www.presidentlincoln.org.